More than 500 people joined the nation in protesting police brutality, the murder of unarmed black man George Floyd and racial oppression during its recent Black Lives Matter protest in Cedar Hill.

Residents of this southern Dallas County city – which is 54 percent black – marched from the Cedar Hill Walmart near Uptown to the Cedar Hill Government Center, which houses the police department.

Once assembled in front of the Government Center, residents heard from various speakers including Mayor Stephen Mason, Police Chief Ely Reyes, and 18-year-old Janell Baker, a Cedar Hill resident who is the 2020 Salutatorian of the School of Science and Engineering at Townview.

This “complete lack of accountability” Baker told the crowd assembled, “is the complete lack of accountability that screams to people in this country that black lives do not matter which is why everyone has the responsibility to scream the opposite.

The Tri-City Chapter of the NAACP – serving Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville and the surrounding communities – was also present and encouraged residents to join the organization and help continue fighting for racial progress.